Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08L—COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
  • C08L67/00—Compositions of polyesters obtained by reactions forming a carboxylic ester link in the main chain; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
  • C08L67/02—Polyesters derived from dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C48/00—Extrusion moulding, i.e. expressing the moulding material through a die or nozzle which imparts the desired form; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C48/03—Extrusion moulding, i.e. expressing the moulding material through a die or nozzle which imparts the desired form; Apparatus therefor characterised by the shape of the extruded material at extrusion
  • B29C48/07—Flat, e.g. panels
  • B29C48/08—Flat, e.g. panels flexible, e.g. films
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08G—MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS
  • C08G63/00—Macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions forming a carboxylic ester link in the main chain of the macromolecule
  • C08G63/02—Polyesters derived from hydroxycarboxylic acids or from polycarboxylic acids and polyhydroxy compounds
  • C08G63/12—Polyesters derived from hydroxycarboxylic acids or from polycarboxylic acids and polyhydroxy compounds derived from polycarboxylic acids and polyhydroxy compounds
  • C08G63/16—Dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds
  • C08G63/18—Dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds the acids or hydroxy compounds containing carbocyclic rings
  • C08G63/181—Acids containing aromatic rings
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
  • C08J5/00—Manufacture of articles or shaped materials containing macromolecular substances
  • C08J5/18—Manufacture of films or sheets
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08K—Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients
  • C08K5/00—Use of organic ingredients
  • C08K5/04—Oxygen-containing compounds
  • C08K5/13—Phenols; Phenolates
  • C08K5/132—Phenols containing keto groups, e.g. benzophenones
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08K—Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients
  • C08K5/00—Use of organic ingredients
  • C08K5/16—Nitrogen-containing compounds
  • C08K5/34—Heterocyclic compounds having nitrogen in the ring
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
  • H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
  • H01L31/00—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof
  • H01L31/04—Semiconductor devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation and specially adapted either for the conversion of the energy of such radiation into electrical energy or for the control of electrical energy by such radiation; Processes or apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture or treatment thereof or of parts thereof; Details thereof adapted as photovoltaic [PV] conversion devices
  • H01L31/042—PV modules or arrays of single PV cells
  • H01L31/048—Encapsulation of modules
  • H01L31/049—Protective back sheets
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
  • B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
  • B29C48/00—Extrusion moulding, i.e. expressing the moulding material through a die or nozzle which imparts the desired form; Apparatus therefor
  • B29C48/25—Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
  • B29C48/88—Thermal treatment of the stream of extruded material, e.g. cooling
  • B29C48/911—Cooling
  • B29C48/9135—Cooling of flat articles, e.g. using specially adapted supporting means
  • B29C48/914—Cooling of flat articles, e.g. using specially adapted supporting means cooling drums
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08J—WORKING-UP; GENERAL PROCESSES OF COMPOUNDING; AFTER-TREATMENT NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C08B, C08C, C08F, C08G or C08H
  • C08J2367/00—Characterised by the use of polyesters obtained by reactions forming a carboxylic ester link in the main chain; Derivatives of such polymers
  • C08J2367/02—Polyesters derived from dicarboxylic acids and dihydroxy compounds
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
  • Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
  • Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a biaxially oriented polyester film and a preparation method thereof, more particularly, to a back sheet used as a surface protective layer or a reflective layer of a solar cell, and a preparation method thereof.
• a solar cell consists of a surface protective layer, an inner cell layer, and a reflective layer, and is required to have a long lifetime of 20 to 30 years.
• the surface protective layer a tempered glass having high transmission and excellent weatherproof properties has been employed, but, in spite of its high surface hardness, it is fragile and heavy, and the process of using such a tempered glass in the preparation of a solar cell is complicated.
• a thick fluorine-based resin polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) film has been used, but the cost for processing such a film to make a back sheet is high. Therefore, there is a need to develop novel material having excellent weatherability and easy processability which can be used in the back sheet application at a low manufacturing cost.
• PVF polyvinyl fluoride
• a biaxially oriented film manufactured from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has been widely used in a variety of applications due to its desirable characteristics such as good processability and comparatively low cost, but it is not suitable for outside uses over a long period due to its poor weatherability.
• PET polyethylene terephthalate
• the film has poor UV stability and low hydrolytic resistance, which makes it unsuitable for use in outdoor applications such as the back sheet for a surface protective layer and a thick reflective layer of a solar cell.
• the UV stability may be improved by the addition of UV stabilizers, but the poor hydrolytic resistance cannot be resolved by simple methods.
• Japanese Laid-open Patent Publications Nos. 2001-111073 and 2007- 253463 proposes a method of protecting a PET film having poor hydrolytic resistance from moisture by forming an inorganic oxide film deposited on the PET film so as to enhance the hydrolytic resistance of the PET film.
• such method causes a significant increase in the manufacturing cost owing to the inorganic oxide deposition process, and the durability of the weather resistance of such an inorganic oxide-deposited layer for more than twenty years has not been established.
• the present inventors have examined a method of preparing a film having a high polymerization degree, corresponding to an intrinsic viscosity (IV) of more than 0.8, by typical solid-state polymerization of raw resins, and also a method of lowering the hydroxyl end group (OH) or carboxyl end group (COOH) content, but have found that the films made by such methods are not sufficiently resistant to hydrolytic degradation. Accordingly, the present inventors have investigated to solve the above- mentioned problems, and have succeeded in developing a back sheet for a solar cell having improved properties to satisfy economic feasibility, processability, and hydrolysis-resistance.
• a back sheet for a solar cell which has excellent weatherability by improving the hydrolysis-resistance, and a preparation method thereof.
• a back sheet for a solar cell consisting of a polyester comprising at least one repeating unit of trimethylene naphthalate and trimethylene terephthalate in an amount of 85% by weight or more.
• a method for preparing a back sheet for a solar cell comprising a) subjecting a polyester resin containing at least one repeating unit of trimethylene naphthalate and trimethylene terephthalate in an amount of 85 % by weight or more to melt- extrusion and quenching, to obtain an undrawn sheet; b) drawing the undrawn sheet in the longitudinal and transverse directions and heat-set with relaxation to obtain a biaxially oriented sheet; and c) cooling the biaxially oriented sheet.
• the back sheet for a solar cell in accordance with the present invention is characterized in consisting of polyester comprising at least one repeating unit of trimethylene naphthalate and trimethylene terephthalate in an amount of 85 % by weight or more.
• the amount of the repeating unit is preferably 90 % by weight or more.
• the back sheet of the present invention has a maintenance ratio of elongation (%) (100 x elongation after heat-treatment / elongation before heat- treatment) of 80 % or more both in the longitudinal direction and transverse direction, when measured after heat-treatment for 75 hours using pressurized water under 2 atm at 120 0 C.
• the polyester of the back sheet may further comprise a UV stabilizer and/or a UV absorbent, so as to improve UV stability/absorption.
• the type and mixing ratio of the UV stabilizer/absorbent may be selected without specific limitation in order to obtain desired UV stability/absorption based on their application.
• benzotriazole-based compounds and HALS (hindered amine light stabilizer) compounds may be used as UV stabilizers
• hydroxybenzophenone and hydroxyphenyl benzotriazole may be used as UV absorbents.
• these UV stabilizers/absorbents are comprised alone or mixed at an appropriate ratio in an amount of 0.01 to 1.0 % by weight based on the polyester.
• the back sheet of the present invention may be so prepared that it is transparent or it has a high reflection ratio.
• organic particles alone or mixed, which are not compatible with inorganic particles or polyesters, may be added to the polyester of the back sheet so as to improve the reflection ratio of sunlight.
• inorganic particles such as TiO 2 and BaSO 4 or organic particles such as cross-linked polymethamethylacrylate and cross-linked polystyrene may be added alone or in the form of a blend.
• the amount of the inorganic particles is 0.01 to 15 % by weight.
• the polyester of the back sheet may comprise a slip agent, in taking account of winding property or post-processability after heat-setting process.
• inorganic or organic particles preferably, inorganic particles such as silica gel, calcium carbonate and alumina having an average particle size of 0.1 to 10.0 ⁇ m may be comprised in an appropriate amount.
• the back sheet of the present invention may be prepared by drawing in the longitudinal and transverse directions, sequentially or simultaneously.
• the back sheet may be prepared by a method comprising the step of drying a polyester resin which comprises at least one repeating unit of trimethylene naphthalate and trimethylene terephthalate in an amount of 85 % by weight or more to reduce the moisture content to less than 50 ppm before melt-extrusion.
• the polyester of the back sheet may comprise at least one additional repeating unit in an amount of 15 % by weight or less.
• the additional repeating units may be selected without specific limitation but to the extent they do not adversely affect the crystallinity of the sheet due to increase of shrinkability after heat-set.
• the additional repeating unit is prepared by polymerizing at least one dibasic acid with at least one diol.
• the dibasic acid may be selected from the group consisting of isophthalic acid (IPA), succinic acid, glutaric acid, adipic acid, suberic acid, azelaic acid, sebacic acid and an ester derivative thereof.
• the diol may be selected from the group consisting of ethylene glycol (EG), diethylene glycol (DEG), neopentyl glycol (NPG), propylene glycol (PG), 1,4-butanediol (1,4- BDO), pentanediol, hexanediol, 2,2-butylethy 1-1, 3 -propanediol (BEPD), 2-methyl- 1,3- ⁇ ropanediol (MPDiol) and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol (1,4-CHDM).
• EG ethylene glycol
• DEG diethylene glycol
• NPG neopentyl glycol
• PG propylene glycol
• 1,4-butanediol 1,4-butanediol
• pentanediol hexanediol
• 2,2-butylethy 1-1, 3 -propanediol BEPD
• the additional repeating units may be introduced to the polyester in the form of a copolymer or or a blend.
• a method for preparing a back sheet for a solar cell comprising a) subjecting a polyester resin containing at least one repeating unit of trimethylene naphthalate and trimethylene terephthalate in an amount of 85 % by weight or more to melt- extrusion and quenching, to obtain an undrawn sheet; b) drawing the undrawn sheet in the longitudinal and transverse directions and heat-set with relaxation to obtain a biaxially oriented sheet; and c) cooling the biaxially oriented sheet.
• the trimethylene terephthalate repeating unit is prepared by polymerizing 1,3 -propanediol with terephthalic acid or a derivative thereof; and the trimethylene naphthalate repeating unit is prepared by polymerizing 1,3- propanediol with naphthalene dicarboxylic acid or a derivative thereof.
• step a) further comprises the step of drying the polyester resin to reduce the moisture content to less then 50 ppm before the melt-extrusion and quenching steps.
• the sheet obtained in step c) may be used in itself as a back sheet for a solar cell, or may be subjected to an additional process.
• the final sheet is further subjected to coating an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) layer on one side and a fluorine resin layer on the other side, in order to improve adhesion to a capsulant of a solar cell.
• EVA ethylene vinyl acetate
• the final sheet may be coated with a transparent layer as a water barrier, on one side or both sides.
• the back sheet for a solar cell according to the present invention has more improved hydrolysis-resistance than a conventional biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, so as to exhibit an enhanced weatherability which is required in a surface protective layer or a reflective layer of a solar cell.
• PET polyethylene terephthalate
• the back sheet of the present invention may be further processed for various purposes, for example, it may be further coated with other films, or subjected to surface treatment or addition of UV stabilizer in a conventional manner.
• a reactor consisting of an esterification reactor (the first reactor) having a stirring rate of about 200 rpm and equipped with a separation tower for isolating 1,3 -propanediol and water from a reaction mixture, an inverter agitator having a stirring rate of 50-10 rpm, a condenser for condensing of a reaction mixture, and a condensation polymerization reactor (the second reactor) equipped with a vacuum pump, was used.
• Terephthalic acid was added to the first reactor, and 1,3 -propanediol and tetrabutoxy titanate (TBT) diluted in n-butanol as a catalyst were added thereto in amounts of 120 parts by weight and 0.03 parts by weight, respectively, based on 100 parts by weight of terephthalic acid.
• TBT tetrabutoxy titanate
• the resulting mixture was allowed to react under about 1.2 kg/cm 2 at 260 0 G for 4 hours with removing by-product, i.e., water.
• TEP triethyl phosphate
• silica particles having an average particle size of 2.5 ⁇ m as a slip agent were added thereto in amounts of 0.045 parts by weight and 0.07 parts by weight, respectively, based on 100 parts by weight of terephthalic acid, then the whole was stirred for 5 minutes.
• the resulting mixture was transferred to the second reactor and allowed to polymerize at 270 0 C under reduced pressure until the agitation motor reach to the predetermined electricity, to obtain polytrimethylene terephthalate as a pellet having an intrinsic viscosity (IV) of 0.870 dL/g.
• IV intrinsic viscosity
• TEP triethyl phosphate
• silica particles having an average particle size of 2.5 ⁇ m as a slip agent were added thereto in amounts of 0.045 parts by weight and 0.07 parts by weight, respectively, based on 100 parts by weight of naphthalene dicarboxylate, then the whole was stirred for 5 minutes.
• the resulting mixture was transferred to the second reactor and allowed to polymerize at 280 0 C under reduced pressure until agitation motor reach to the predetermined electricity, to obtain polytrimethylene naphthalate as a pellet having an intrinsic viscosity (IV) of 0.698 dL/g.
• IV intrinsic viscosity
• Preparation Example 2 The procedures of Preparation Example 2 were repeated, except that ethylene glycol as a diol was added instead of 1,3 -propanediol in an amount of 190 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of naphthalene dicarboxylate, and manganese acetate as an interesterif ⁇ cation catalyst and antimony trioxide (Sb 2 O 3 ) as a condensation polymerization catalyst (Sb 2 O 3 ) were added in amounts of 0.04 parts by weight and 0.035 parts by weight, respectively, based on 100 parts by weight of naphthalene dicarboxylate.
• ethylene glycol as a diol was added instead of 1,3 -propanediol in an amount of 190 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of naphthalene dicarboxylate
• manganese acetate as an interesterif ⁇ cation catalyst and antimony trioxide (Sb 2 O 3 ) as a condensation polymerization catalyst (S
• Terephthalic acid was added to the first reactor, and ethylene glycol was added thereto in an amount of 120 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of terephthalic acid.
• the resulting mixture was allowed to react under about 1.2 kg/cm 2 at 260 0 C for 4 hours with removing the by-product, i.e., water.
• antimony trioxide (Sb 2 O 3 ) as a condensation polymerization catalyst and silica particles having an average particle size of 2.5 ⁇ m as a slip agent were added thereto in amounts of 0.035 parts by weight and 0.07 parts by weight, respectively, based on 100 parts by weight of terephthalic acid, then the whole was stirred for 5 minutes.
• the resulting mixture was transferred to the second reactor and allowed to polymerize at 280 0 C under reduced pressure until agitation motor reach to the predetermined electricity, to obtain polyethylene terephthalate as a pellet having an intrinsic viscosity (IV) of 0.605 dL/g.
• Polymer D obtained in Preparation Example 4 was subjected to a solid state polymerization at 220 0 C under vacuum condition for 20 hours, to obtain solid state polymerized polyethylene terephthalate having an intrinsic viscosity of 0.802 dL/g.
• Polymers A to E obtained in Preparation Examples 1 to 5 were mixed in various ratios as shown in Table 1. The resulting mixture was subjected to crystallization at 120 0 C for 2 hours using a paddle dryer, and then dried at 165 0 C for about 5 hours to reduce the moisture content to 50 ppm.
• the each mixture was melted at a temperature range from Tm+20°C to Tm+40°C, extruded through a T-die, and cooled by a casting roll kept at 18-20 0 C , to obtain an undrawn sheet.
• the undrawn sheet was drawn in the longitudinal direction with 3-3.5 times using heating rolls having different peripheral velocities at a temperature range from Tg+5°C to Tg+20°C, and then drawn in the transverse direction with 3.2-3.8 times using a tenter at a temperature range from Tg+20°C to Tg+40°C, to obtain a biaxially oriented sheet.
• the biaxially oriented sheet was heat-set at a temperature range from Tm-50°C to Tm-30°C for several seconds, to obtain a back sheet for a solar cell having a thickness of 20-25 ⁇ m.
• the intrinsic viscosity was measured using a sheet sample which is dissolved in orthochlorophenol (OCP) at 30 0 C according to a typical intrinsic viscosity measuring procedure of polyethylene terephthalate.
• a sheet sample (15cm x 15cm) was placed in autoclave containing distilled water, which was pressurized with 2 atm of nitrogen gas to subject heat-treatment in distilled water at 120 0 C for 75 hours.
• the sheet sample was measured in terms of elongations before heat- treatment and after heat-treatment, in the longitudinal and transverse directions, with a universal tester. The each measurement was conducted for three times to take an average value.
• the back sheets obtained in Examples 1 to 7 exhibit high hydrolysis-resistance. Accordingly, they are useful as a back sheet for a solar cell.

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• 2010
  • 2010-06-09 US US13/376,931 patent/US20120082785A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2010-06-09 WO PCT/KR2010/003693 patent/WO2010143882A2/en active Application Filing
  • 2010-06-09 CN CN201080025668.1A patent/CN102459427B/zh active Active
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